5 exercises to improve your Emotional Intelligence

To improve your Emotional Intelligence you must unlearn certain aspects. Because beyond intellectual skills there is undoubtedly that wisdom that emotions give us.

Why is it so important to improve your Emotional Intelligence? We are facing that dimension of our life that we should all develop and manage properly.. Knowing how to listen, understand other people’s emotions and control our own, knowing how to communicate and foster mutual respect where we all win, is essential.

It is a type of intelligence that should be included in the school curriculum, to develop these basic skills in children from a very early age. Emotional intelligence is above all, a way of self-knowledge, self-control and also expressiveness. To know one’s own limits and at the same time, mark them before others. Avoiding possible manipulations.

As we already know, a high IQ is not always synonymous with happiness. True intelligence, the one that promotes our well-being, our social relationships and professional success, is that which has to do with emotional matters.

So We are going to teach you some simple exercises to improve your Emotional Intelligence. As studies such as the one carried out at the University of London reveal, thanks to this competition, we can gain in happiness and quality of life. It’s worth a try.

“The emotionally intelligent person has skills in four areas: identifying emotions, using emotions, understanding emotions, and regulating emotions.”

-John Mayer-

1. Know yourself

Knowing yourself is an adventure that lasts a lifetime. It is an exercise that is achieved, in turn, day by day, setting goals and asking ourselves questions. This is a task of introspection that we set ourselves every morning.

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When night comes, analyze how you have felt throughout your day. Have you acted as you wanted? Have you expressed yourself, defended yourself according to your own values? You can use classic paper, a diary or your thoughts notebook. It is a very simple exercise but at the same time illustrative. Ask yourself questions, investigate yourself, clarify.

“Knowing oneself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

-Aristotle-

2. Emotional regulation

Think of your emotions as a scale. The key to well-being is balance. Achieving this internal homeostasis requires adequate work that, according to Daniel Goleman, should focus on these aspects:

Control your anger. When you notice that you are about to “fall” or “explode,” visualize a small, quiet, airy room. It is your palace of thoughts. Control your impulses. Before acting, think, reason and analyze the situation.Regulate your negative emotions. These states absorb all our attention, hindering any attempt to pay attention to something else.

3. Empathy to improve your Emotional Intelligence

Empathy is a concept that we all know and value, but we don’t put it into practice as much as we should.. It is easier for us to put ourselves in the place of those people who transmit the most positive feelings to us. We identify better with them and the level of understanding and rapprochement is more intense.

Now, why don’t we try to empathize with what makes us uncomfortable? Try to “put yourself in the shoes” of the other and maybe you will discover what is behind them.: insecurity, low self-esteem…

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Doing so will enable us to better manage our relationships. That understanding and making contact validates us to decide better, to be more assertive by understanding the point of view of others.

4. Self-motivation

Today you may not feel like it, you may not feel like it. But from this moment on we will do a simple exercise: let’s look at the good side of things, leaving the negative behind. Get up every day thinking about something that excites you and that you want to achieve. Set objectives, short and long term goals.

Life without illusion is not life. Find your daily motivation.

Sometimes any little thing is useful to us. End the day in that coffee shop you haven’t been to yet. Make a call to that person you haven’t seen in so long. Buy you a new dress. Plan a weekend getaway. Sign up for a yoga or painting course. Smile a little more…

5. Social skills

We are going to try to communicate a little better, and not only through words, but also with gestures. Get closer to the people around you, put on a smile, offer a caress, a pat on the back or a hug. You will see that the reaction of those around you is different.

Likewise, the art of training ourselves in social skills requires enhancing the following aspects:

Learn to listen, to express yourself, to communicate effectively.Train your assertiveness.Be respectful. Practice compassion.Be patient.Make use of intuition, another key tool to improve your Emotional Intelligence.

Seek and offer positive emotions in every moment and second of your life. Put these keys into practice to improve your Emotional Intelligence and be happier, also making others happy.